Thunder starters blow past Spurs in fourth

If there was ever a sign that what happened at the AT&T Center on Monday night was just a preseason game, it occurred with 3:19 to go in the first quarter.

At one end, Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook was whistled for one of those quick technical fouls that seem to be going around this exhibition season like the swine flu.

Ambling to the other end to attempt the ensuing free throw: Tim Duncan. Yes, that Tim Duncan.

After the Thunder eventually finished off a 111-102 victory — made possible when Oklahoma City’s starters closed the game on a 13-2 run against the Spurs’ reserves — Gregg Popovich could only shake his head. And laugh.

“We better get serious here pretty soon,” Popovich said.

The regular season doesn’t start until Oct. 27, when Indiana comes to town. Popovich is serious about that.

On Monday, the Thunder were serious enough for both teams. With another preseason game scheduled tonight in the mile high altitude of Denver, Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks used Monday’s game as a chance to run his starters until they dropped, with an eye toward giving them a day off against the Nuggets.

As such, NBA scoring champ Kevin Durant was still in the game at the horn, finishing off his 40th minute, helping the Thunder (3-2) win a game the Spurs had led 61-51 at halftime.

“There are certain mental things that go into preseason games, especially for younger teams trying to set the tone,” Spurs forward Richard Jefferson said. “That’s why it’s tough to gauge how people are playing in the preseason.”

If there’s one thing Popovich hopes will carry over from Monday’s otherwise incongruous outing, it’s the pace. He’s been pushing his players to play more up-tempo this preseason, and against the youthful Thunder, they seemed to be listening.

The Spurs (2-3) rattled off 22 fastbreak points in the first half, including 10 in the first quarter, en route to their halftime lead.

Tony Parker, for the second game in a row, wiggled his way to his share of scoring. He ended with 17 points and six assists.

An even better sign: After beginning the preseason in a 6-for-25 slump, Manu Ginobili hit 6 of 9 shots, including 5 of 7 on 3-pointers, to also finish with 17 points.

A key sequence for him came at the end of the first half, when he buried back-to-back treys, including a 28-footer to beat the horn.

The Spurs — the boring old Spurs — finished with 29 fastbreak points, notable in that it wasn’t even a preseason high. They notched 30 in a win over Miami on Oct. 9.

“We’re pleased with that and want it to continue,” Popovich said.

The Spurs were still ahead 98-94 when Parker and Ginobili left the game. Popovich finished with two starters on the floor (Jefferson and DeJuan Blair) flanked by two rookies (James Anderson and Gary Neal) and a second-year point guard (Garrett Temple).

The Thunder answered with much the same lineup that was last seen giving the Lakers fits in last year’s playoffs.

“They didn’t have their guys in the fourth quarter, and that made the difference,” Brooks said.

The Spurs have one more preseason game, Thursday against Houston. After that, things will get back to normal.

Duncan will play in second halves. And he won’t be attempting any technical foul shots.

Yet there was one more anomaly from Monday that Popovich does hope carries over to the regular season.

When Duncan strode to the foul line for his not-so-serious first-half free throw? He buried it.